This post is sponsored by Manitoba Harvest.
View full post »
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...View full post »

BUFFALO CHICKPEA CHILI WITH MUSHROOMS

January 24th, 2018

pin it!pin it!pin it!pin it!We’re back from 9 days in paradise! I had a truly relaxing time, read a couple good books, and got that essential mega dose of sun and sea. Maybe I’m lucky (actually, I know that I am), but I’ve never really felt the post-vacation blues. I almost always come back restored and inspired to take on new work or tackle old projects that have been hanging around a bit too long–like maybe the one wall in my upstairs hallway that I STILL haven’t finished painting yikes.We came back on a Friday night, stopped at Whole Foods to get some groceries/a slice of vegan pizza, and then I pretty much spent the weekend cleaning, organizing, planning, and dreaming with a completely refreshed mindset. I hit a deep creative/general motivation rut over the holidays, not gonna lie. I was asking myself A LOT of hard questions. I am fond of practicing gratitude, and with this trip and the dose of sparkle it brought back, my thankfulness is soaring.Just as your physical body needs sleep for optimum function, your emotional and spiritual self needs periods of relaxation and time to just do/not do whatever the hell you want. Spending full days at the beach without my phone/computer felt indulgent and admittedly confusing at first. Like, what am I supposed to fill up my day with? Should I just lay around, meditate, eat lots of fruit, have a beverage, walk the beach for the hundredth time, read another book, and watch the waves in between? That’s what I did. It was the dose of life-giving self connection that I needed.I dreamed up this recipe while I was there. I think this is the first time I’ve ever posted a game day-style recipe in time for the Super Bowl? Pats on the back. You guys know that I like my entire life doused in Buffalo-style hot sauce (see this salad + these potatoes +this hummus from the One Part Plant Cookbook, which is a staple in our house), so this chili is a natural progression. You finely mince mushrooms in a food processor for that meaty texture in this chili. The flavour of the mushrooms isn’t particularly pronounced in the final product if I’m being real here. Chickpeas, carrots, and celery fill the rest of the pot out. The Buffalo sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, and miso make it so satisfying and instantly crave-able. I would not hesitate to serve this over fries, not even a little bit! 😉 I like the relative ease of this recipe too. I served our bowls up with dollops of extra coooooool cashew sour cream. I give a quickie recipe for that in the recipe headnotes. Hope you guys try this one. Tag me on Insta if you do (especially if you’re pouring it over fries–I wanna see that in action!)

pin it!pin it!pin it!pin it!pin it!VEGAN BUFFALO CHICKPEA CHILI WITH MUSHROOMS RECIPEPrint the recipe here!SERVES: 6NOTES:For a quick cashew sour cream, combine the following in an upright blender: 1 cup soaked cashews, ½ cup water, juice of ½ a lemon, pinch of salt, and a ½ teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Blend until smooth and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days!–I used cremini mushrooms, but (slightly more affordable) button mushrooms would be fine here. I think they might even make the chili look a bit more appetizing *shrug*.-I used SWEET smoked Spanish paprika. This brand is my go-to for smoked paprika.-If you don’t have a food processor, you could certainly mince the mushrooms by hand, milling them back and forth on the board with a chef’s knife. If you’re wondering whether this recipe is worth dragging the food processor out for, it is. The finest chopping done in 5 seconds.-My favourite all purpose miso is South River’s chickpea miso.-I like seasoning this chili at the very end because most hot sauces are quite salty and acidic. You may not need much salt at all.-Last but most important note: You need to get PROPER Buffalo-style hot sauce. It’s got that salty-tangy hit! Tessemae’s is great if you can find it, but so is Anchor Bar if you’re okay with slightly junkier ingredients (no shame, sometimes I am!).1 lb (454 grams) white button or cremini mushrooms, stems removed1 tablespoon avocado or other heat-tolerant oil1 large yellow onion, small dice2 medium carrots, small dice4 ribs celery, small dice5 cloves garlic, minced1 tablespoon miso1 teaspoon smoked paprika⅓ – ½ cup Buffalo-style hot sauce (start with a ⅓ and add more to taste at the end)1 28-ounce can (796 mL) crushed tomatoes (I prefer fire-roasted)1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained & rinsed1 cup vegetable stocksea salt & ground black pepper, to tasteChop the mushroom caps into quarters and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Close the lid and pulse the mushrooms until they are all finely minced. Set aside.Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion to the pot and saute until slightly soft, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and celery. Saute the vegetables until all are slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add the minced mushrooms to the pot and stir. Keep stirring and cooking the mushrooms until they glisten and soften up slightly, about 2 minutes.Add the garlic, miso, and smoked paprika to the pot and stir until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the Buffalo-style sauce, tomatoes, chickpeas, and vegetable stock to the pot. Stir to combine and then bring the chili to a boil. Simmer the chili, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Everything in the Buffalo chickpea chili is already cooked, but you want to marry the flavours before serving. The carrots should be soft when you’re done. Season the chili to taste with salt, pepper, and more Buffalo sauce if desired. Serve the chili hot with cashew sour cream, toast etc.

Ok I am NOT a mushroom lover (I know!), but I could totally get down with this! I’ve been trying to be more intentional and not as frantic this year (LOL) and it makes everything feel so much more relaxed!ReplyCancel

Sherryn Adair25/01/2018 - 4:08 pm

You won’t really taste the mushrooms – they just add a nice rich flavor; same with the chickpeas – they give a nice texture! Once the flavors meld, it’s just a multi-level flavor experience!ReplyCancel

Agree with Sherryn! My man doesn’t like mushrooms at all and polished off a huge bowl of this ;)ReplyCancel

McKenzie24/01/2018 - 11:23 am

Recently read on The Kitchn that mushrooms readily soak up vitamin D if left in the sun, and provide a good boost! So definitely will be making this and pretending I’m getting my vitamin D from the beach instead ;)ReplyCancel

Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle, How to be Here by Rob Bell + The Hate U Give by Angie ThomasReplyCancel

Jo24/01/2018 - 8:49 pm

FYI (you probably already know this, but in case some of your readers don’t) the OG buffalo sauce was just Frank’s Red Hot (or similar vinegary-cayenne hot sauce) + butter, so I never have “buffalo sauce” in my pantry, I always just make it myself! I’m originally from Buffalo, so even though I’m plant based now I’m still obsessed with anything and everything buffalo flavoured!ReplyCancel

I didn’t know that! Is it bad that I don’t like Frank’s though?!ReplyCancel

Sherryn Adair25/01/2018 - 3:04 pm

I SO made this for dinner last night and invited my friend who is a die hard carnivore & chickpea hater. He brought his own pasta salad and chicken sausage but happily chopped all the veggies for me (my knife skills are so bad I’m on a perpetual suicide watch). After all of his hard work, he had a conflicted look when he peered at the fragrant, colorful pot of chili and said he’d try a small bowl. Well, guess what! He skipped the pasta salad & sausage and nailed two BIG bowls of this. He said it was EXCELLENT (and I concur!). I told him I really trust your flavor intuition because everything I’ve made from your book/blog has been the bomb. Thank you!ReplyCancel

Total success on two fronts: your friend enjoyed it AND he helped you make it. All about those small victories for the plant-based camp :)
-LReplyCancel

Anne25/01/2018 - 4:08 pm

I made this for my husband while he was at the gym. We had it for lunch and he loved it. The smokey flavor mixed with the buffalo sauce is what he liked. I substituted black beans and only had franks buffalo sauce. I’ll bet it would be better with your recommended sauce. He goes I can eat this every day. Thank youReplyCancel

This chili is on our meal plan for this week & I can’t wait to make it!
I loooove seeing South River’s miso in your kitchen- we lived up the road from them for 8 years and, even after moving across the state, still keep our fridge LOADED with all their incredible miso. The chickpea is absolutely my favorite, though!ReplyCancel

Heather29/01/2018 - 11:17 pm

Do you think this would work in a slow cooker? Looks delicious, but I love my lazy cooking and my crock pot is my go to! haha!ReplyCancel

Hi Heather!
I think it would work fine. I’m not sure what setting I’d put it on and for how long though. I’m still a bit of a slow cooker newbie. From quickly googling vegetarian mushroom chili recipes, it seems like the consensus is the “LOW” setting for about 7-8 hours. Let me know what it’s like if you try it!
-LReplyCancel

Isaac Thomas31/01/2018 - 6:48 am

This looks absolutely amazing! Can’t wait to make this on a cold day!!

Hi ! Made it and love the taste. Colour and texture were nothing like your pictures however although I followed the recipe. How did you achieve that apparent thickness without reducing for much longer than the recipe calls for ? And how did you get the deep red ? Mine turned out orangey-tan…ReplyCancel

Hi Ginette,
When I’m photographing things like soups, I let them cool down considerably first, and in the process they do thicken up quite a bit. This is the most likely explanation. As to the colour, the buffalo sauce that I used here was seriously neon orange. Combine that with some good lighting and a tiny bit of photo editing, and I’m guessing that’s why mine looks the way it does :)
-LReplyCancel

Karin08/02/2018 - 4:26 pm

Made this for the super bowl and it was DELICIOUS! Rave reviews from vegans and omnivores alike. Highly recommend!ReplyCancel

Hi Laura
Mushrooms are my absolute favorite to add some flavor in the dish and your recipe sounds perfect for it. Love how you used smoked paprica!
Can I use lentils instead of chickpea as I already have it in my kitchen and won’t have to shop? Do tell me if I can. I would love to know.
Can’t wait to make this recipe
Thank you :DReplyCancel

Hi Corrie,
Yes, I think lentils would be great in this recipe!
-LReplyCancel

Ben13/02/2018 - 8:47 pm

I made this tonight. I added orange pepper and corn and it came out delicious! Ate it with some jasmine rice. Thank you. Would you happen to have the nutritional info?ReplyCancel

Carolyn Christmas22/02/2018 - 8:59 pm

I made this today and it’s so tasty delicious! I intended to follow the recipe to a tee but didn’t have enough plain crushed tomatoes. I had to crush some fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles for half of them. I don’t think it hurt it We are new vegans and I’m so thrilled to have found your blog and cookbook recently.ReplyCancel

Hello Laura! I was browsing your blog and this post really caught my attention. My husband and I are really a big fan of anything chili and I thought I’d give this recipe a try and surprise him with this yummy dish. I’m just wondering, will it be okay if I replace chickpeas with lentils as it’s also one of his favorites. Or if you have any other suggestions, let me know :)ReplyCancel

Hi Emily!
I think cooked lentils would be equally tasty in this chili. Hope you guys love it!
-LReplyCancel

Eric Bee11/12/2018 - 4:20 pm

I might forgo the veg broth the next time. I boiled a decent amount off, but I like thick hearty chili. Also, Frank’s “Hot” Buffalo was overkill. I like spicy, but getting other’s to eat it with that would prove difficult.